1617 – The Forager’s Apprentice

This is the first of two in-person conversation recorded early in 2016, and is a follow-up to the interview recorded last year with Erik and Victoria. Today the focus on Victoria and The Forager’s Apprentice program. During this course she provides a foundation to her students in botany, wild foods, and herbal medicine.The class starts the conversation, but where we wind up is deeper into the personal change that comes from a connection with nature; to know that nature is us and we are it; that we create our lives and the resulting yields from the system; and that each of us can choose to take action out of fear or out of love. Just as we hold that choice, Victoria shares how her studies of healing lead to an understanding that trusting ourselves, one another, and the mystery of life leads to abundance and true, lasting security. We become free.

Find out more about Victoria and The Forager’s Apprentice program at charmcityfarms.org, and via the links in the resource section below.There is a parable, sometimes called “The Wolves Within” and attributed to the Cherokee, that came to mind when Victoria spoke about fear and love.

A grandfather is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside of me,” he says to the boy.

“This terrible fight is between two wolves. One is evil, full of anger, envy, sorrow, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good, full of joy peace, love, hope, serenity, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going inside of you, and everyone else.”

The grandson thought about this and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”The old man replied, “The one you feed.”

I’ve read or heard a version of that lesson dozens of times. For years, though a person of faith, I trusted the results that came largely from the security of a full-time job, often working more than 60 hours a week. It was the only way I knew to live. Even now there are times when it is incomprehensible, but a mystery arises by feeding your personal abundance, that wolf of joy, that brings more abundance into the world and sets you free, opening unimaginable doors.

Whichever wolf you currently find yourself feeding, if I can help you tend it, get in touch. My phone number is 717-827-6266 and email is show@thepermaculturepodcast.com. If digital means are not your preferred way to reach me, you can also drop something in the mail. That address is:

The Permaculture PodcastP.O. Box 16Dauphin, PA 17018

From here, coming up is the Mid-Atlantic Permaculture Convergence outside of Charles Town, West Virginia, at The Riverside Project. The keynote speaker for this day is Michael Judd, talking about his experiences as a permaculture practitioner, with opening remarks by Joel Glanzberg. Classes and workshops are scheduled on Living in the Gift, Animals in Permaculture, Broadacre permaculture, whole systems learning, plant walks, and tree ID sessions. If you do plan on attending, please consider carpooling. If you haven’t picked up your tickets yet, get them today at midatlanticpermacultureconvergence.eventbrite.com.

Until the next time, embrace the mystery of life and take care of Earth, yourself, and each other.

SponsorsPermieKids, created by permaculture practitioner and educator Jen Mendez, is a resource to inspire and nurture those teachers, parents, and families interested in incorporating permaculture education into the lives of children in the community or at home. Through the site Jen offers a free ongoing podcast where you can learn about transitioning to a rich, ecologically sound life that includes children and learning at every step of the way. If you want to dive deeper you may be interested in her Community Experiential Education by Design program, or Edge Alliances. Find out more at PermieKids.com.

Your Garden Solution is a Pennsylvania company run by a permaculture practitioner and their business partner that helps people to garden using the techniques developed by Mel Bartholomew and popularized in his book Square Foot Gardening. In addition to garden installation and education, they also have an excellent soil mix and compost ready for your raised beds. Find out more at yourgardensolution.org.

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